


Little Lizard

by HopeSilverheart



Series: Loving Em at 2AM [49]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: (as much as you can banter with a lizard), (but also), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Banter, Boys In Love, Catarina is so done with everyone, Confident Andrew, Crack, Episode: s03e21 Alliance, First Meet, Fix-It, Fluff, Flustered Andrew, Humour, Lizard Lorenzo, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-07-01
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:40:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25006321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HopeSilverheart/pseuds/HopeSilverheart
Summary: A lizard stuck in a warlock’s home was hardly inconspicuous, especially when the two recent owners of said home were far from the type to keep a pet lizard around.Overall, the lizard was suspicious, and Andrew was starting to understand why Alec had sent him here. The last thing they wanted was some mutant animal rampaging through New York City, or an angry human storming through the streets to get revenge on whoever had turned the poor soul into a lizard. He understood that there were little chances of a lizard escaping, especially when compared to a feline or a bird, but a reptile was a little bit cruel, in Andrew’s humble opinion.“The question is, are you a friend or a foe?”Or: Andrew meets Lizard Lorenzo; humour ensues.
Relationships: Lorenzo Rey/Andrew Underhill
Series: Loving Em at 2AM [49]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1764400
Comments: 6
Kudos: 55





	Little Lizard

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thatnerdemryn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatnerdemryn/gifts).



Andrew wasn’t sure what he was doing here.

The High Warlock’s loft wasn’t exactly a place he had thought he would ever visit. When Magnus Bane had had the job, Alec had been the one to take care of business with him, and he had continued doing so once Lorenzo Rey had taken over. Rumour had it the new High Warlock had thrown Magnus out of the apartment the same way he had all but thrown him out of the warlock community.

However, as Andrew stepped into the loft warily, he had to admit it didn’t look like _anyone_ had lived there for the past couple of days. Alec had told him to go help Catarina Loss deal with Magnus’ pet lizard, but none of it had made sense to Andrew half an hour ago, and none of it made sense to him now.

All he knew was that there was a think layer of dust over every single piece of furniture, bar what he could see in the office. That had to have been what Alec had been up to all night, probably trying to find a way to save Magnus, which meant Lorenzo Rey himself wasn’t around. For some reason.

Honestly, Andrew had no clue what he was supposed to do. He had never owned a pet lizard, so he wouldn’t know what to do with the animal even if he could find it, and he didn’t have magic, so he couldn’t check on it that way instead. If he had to guess, he would assume that Alec sent him here purely to watch over Magnus’ apartment until Catarina could get there which, whilst an adorable sentiment, meant that Andrew was stuck here with nothing to do.

He sighed and backed out of the office doorway, spinning around and letting out a slightly undignified squeal at the small terrarium in front of him. So there _was_ a lizard, or a chameleon, or some reptile at least. That wouldn’t have bothered Andrew too much – when one dealt with demons on a daily basis, they tended to be okay with almost every animal out there. The alarming part of the display was the small ‘HELP’ written onto the terrarium’s wall.

Given the position and the fact that there was no one around, Andrew could only assume that the lizard had – somehow – done this itself. And if there was one thing Andrew knew about animals who could talk or write or understand human tongues, it was that they were very rarely actual animals. He had taken a class on magical diseases and curses back at the Academy, and this felt a whole lot like one of the cases they had had to study.

A lizard stuck in a warlock’s home was hardly inconspicuous, especially when the two recent owners of said home were far from the type to keep a pet lizard around. Alec had repeatedly talked about Magnus’ cats, and Rey was apparently the kind of person who preferred his own reflection to other beings’ company.

Overall, the lizard was suspicious, and Andrew was starting to understand why Alec had sent him here. The last thing they wanted was some mutant animal rampaging through New York City, or an angry human storming through the streets to get revenge on whoever had turned the poor soul into a lizard. He understood that there were little chances of a lizard escaping, especially when compared to a feline or a bird, but a reptile was a little bit cruel, in Andrew’s humble opinion.

“The question is, are you a friend or a foe?” he sighed, cocking his head to the side and chuckling softly when the reptile copied his movements. “Alec sent one of his friends to take a look at you, but you can’t be comfortable in there. Whoever locked you up in such a dull and small space must have _truly_ hated you. What did you do to them, huh? Did you destroy something Magnus loved? Or did you steal something from Rey?”

The lizard hissed uselessly, an almost-pout forming on its inexistent lips. Andrew hadn’t known reptiles could pull off an expression like that, but the human stuck in there had to be truly put out by their current predicament. Unconsciously, he found himself softening at the sight, wondering if it would be a bad idea to take the animal out of its cage and give it a little bit of freedom.

If nothing else, it might make it feel slightly indebted to Andrew, which wasn’t a terrible plan. Of course, it might also run out of the apartment and leave Andrew with no more answers than he had had when he first walked into the loft, but maybe that was a risk he was going to have to take.

He hesitated a second longer, glancing at the reptile’s pleading eyes and then at his watch. Alec had called Catarina over forty minutes ago and she still wasn’t there. Andrew, on the other hand, was. Breathing in deeply, he steadied his hands as best he could and opened the terrarium, extending a hand out and sighing relievedly when all the lizard did was climb on it.

Carefully, Andrew pulled his hand out of the cage and brought the lizard closer to himself, raising his arm until he was eye-to-eye with the animal he was cradling.

“You’ve got some beautiful colours on you,” he commented, deciding that praise was probably the best path to take for now. “Look at al those greens and blues and yellows. Tell me, are you a warlock?”

Surprisingly, the lizard nodded, reminding Andrew that this animal was indeed a conscious human who could hear and understand him. It was slightly disturbing, but he thought he might as well take advantage of it and try to get as much information out of the lizard as he could before Catarina showed up. That way, he would be able to tell her everything there was to know and would – hopefully – impress Alec with his initiative and bravery.

“Alright, then. I’m going to guess that one of those colours reflects your magic,” Andrew chattered on, knowing that an interrogation wasn’t the right thing to do at the moment. He needed to make the reptile feel like they were having a proper conversation in between two equals. “Yellow, probably. You don’t strike me as a blue like Magnus, and green is a bit too… foresty, I think. So definitely yellow, maybe with hints of gold? I’m sure it’s as beautiful as the colours you’re currently sporting.”

The lizard preened in his hand, and Andrew cheered internally. So maybe he wasn’t _completely_ screwing things up. He didn’t know if this was what Alec had had in mind when he had called Andrew, but this was all he was going to get. In one smooth movement, Andrew sank down onto the floor and crossed his legs, making sure not to jostle the reptile as he moved.

“It’s a shame you can’t answer, you know,” Andrew sighed. “From what I’ve heard, everyone who’s lived in this loft for the past year or so has been incredibly interesting. Magnus Bane, Jace Herondale for a while, Alec Lightwood, and even the infamous Lorenzo Rey. If you live here, you must be quite special too, even if you’re only here because someone locked you up. Quite rude of them, by the way.”

The lizard hissed again, and although Andrew had no idea whether the noise was amused or angry, he was going to assume that the animal agreed with him.

“Well don’t worry too much,” Andrew said softly, raising his free fingers and gently caressing the lizard’s head. If reptiles had been able to purr, he was quite sure the lizard would have been doing exactly that. “I hear that Catarina Loss is quite a talented healer, so if you’re suffering from a curse or a disease, she’ll be able to help. And if not, there’s always the High Warlock, except if he’s the one who put you here… It doesn’t sound like him, though. Alec told me that he hated animals, and I can’t imagine why he would make an exception for a reptile, no matter how lovely you are. Anyways, he’s plenty powerful, so he might be able to solve your problem if Miss Loss can’t.”

His reptilian companion hissed again and Andrew sighed, wishing he could understand what the animal was trying to say. He leaned forward until the tip of his nose was almost brushing against the lizard’s scales and proceeded to narrow his eyes at the reptile.

“Are you laughing at me or are you trying to say something?” He muttered underneath his breath. He wanted to be annoyed at the amusement he could see bright and clear in the animal’s eyes, but then it stuck out its tongue and booped Andrew’s nose with it, and he was reduced to a mess of fond giggles. “Oh come on, that’s not fair. Really, shouldn’t you be more grateful for my help? I dragged myself here for no reason other than wanting to impress my boss and maybe meet the elusive High Warlock, and here you are making fun of me whilst I try to find out if there’s anything I can do to help.”

The lizard stayed silent, which Andrew would take to mean that it was unimpressed by his ramblings. Then, it slowly tilted its head towards the kitchen, and Andrew raised his eyebrows at it in a ‘ _Seriously_?’ gesture before standing up frustratedly and making his way into the other room.

Just like the rest of the loft, it looked like it hadn’t been used in a few days, but at least it was clean, tidy, and seemed to have everything a lizard might need. Not that Andrew actually knew what that was.

“Did you have something specific in mind, or did you just want to take me on a walk?” he asked, sarcasm dripping from his voice. He didn’t usually speak so freely to near-strangers, but he felt like lizards had to be the exception to that rule. “No offence, but I have no idea what reptiles like to be fed, let alone reptiles who aren’t _really_ reptiles. Do you want some water, or some um… apples?”

The lizard hissed briefly, and this time Andrew was sure that he was being laughed at, so he plopped the lizard onto the kitchen counter and leaned over until his elbows were resting on the cool marble and his finger was pointed straight at the animal’s eyes.

“Listen here, little lizard,” he said as sternly as he could whilst still staring into a reptile’s eyes. “I have been nothing but helpful and kind to you for the past half hour, if not a little bit more chatty than I usually am, so if you want to get something to eat or to drink, you’re going to have to turn that sass down and tell me what you need. If not, I can always dump some water on you and hope it keeps you hydrated. I don’t care if you’re the most powerful warlock in the world; you can either be useful, or you can be drenched. The choice is up to you.”

The lizard licked its lips, making Andrew wonder if the reptile wanted to eat _him_ , for some reason, but then it pointed its tail at the sink and Andrew threw his hands in the air before heading towards it. He grabbed the first bowl he could find in the many cupboards and filled it to the brim with water, hoping it was still shallow enough that the lizard wouldn’t accidentally drown in it.

“There you go,” he announced, proudly presenting the liquid to the reptile and smiling softly when it lapped it up slowly, clearly glad to have something to drink. “Did no one feed you at all? I don’t know how long you’ve been in there for, but that can’t possibly be safe, especially if you’re secretly a human being. I knew warlocks had their petty conflicts, but surely this is taking things a step too far, right?”

The lizard nodded elegantly, and Andrew shook his head fondly at the animal. He had no idea who this poor warlock was, but it was clear to him that the individual behind all those pretty colours was as extravagant as the other warlocks Andrew had met. Maybe it was something they all shared, or maybe it was specific to the ones in the United States, but Andrew had to admit it was both hilarious and endearing.

(Let’s just say he didn’t find it hard to understand why Alec had fallen for Magnus Bane, of all people.)

“I hope Miss Loss gets here soon,” he murmured, tapping one of his fingers against the lizard’s head as it bent down to take another sip of the water. The reptile looked up at the movement, its eyes narrowing in Andrew’s direction for a moment before it went back to its beverage. “You’re really something else, little lizard. I just wish we could be having an actual conversation instead of this makeshift one. Turning into a Disney animal would have been slightly more practical, don’t you think? Wait, you _do_ know what Disney is, right?”

The lizard levelled him with a steady gaze that seemed to communicate something along the lines of ‘ _Do you think I’m an idiot_?’ so Andrew laughed, once again enchanted by the reptile’s mannerisms. He couldn’t help but hope that the animal was just as interesting in its human form, because it would be a shame to miss out on what Andrew felt could be a wonderful friendship.

“Look, you’d be surprised at how many shadowhunters and downworlders don’t understand mundane references,” he shrugged when the lizard continued staring at him. “Most of my colleagues at the Institute stare at me strangely every time I mention movies. You should see _Alec_ , really; I’m pretty sure there’s nothing he likes less than pop culture references. I pretend to act like I haven’t noticed just so he doesn’t think I’m annoying him on purpose, but I’m determined to make him watch a Disney eventually.”

The lizard abandoned its bowl of water in favour of approaching Andrew and poking him with one of its legs. It took a second for the shadowhunter to understand what the lizard was asking but, when he did, he smiled sheepishly and rubbed at the back of his neck. He should have known this mysterious warlock would be curious, on top of everything else.

“My dad is a mundane,” he explained softly, picking the lizard back up when it tapped at his hand in what was clearly a request to start moving again. Andrew stood up straight and headed back to the entrance hall, figuring that it was the best place to wait for Catarina. “I grew up away from the society and only joined it when I was eighteen and old enough to make my own decisions. My mom never liked the fighting, but she taught me everything there was to know about demon-hunting when I was younger, and I loved it. However, it means I spend all my time surrounded by people who don’t understand half of my culture.”

The lizard hissed out somewhat sympathetically and Andrew smiled at it, stroking its spine again and settling against the wall, legs stretched out in front of him. He was starting to wonder if Catarina had been so caught up in something that she had forgotten about Alec’s request, although he really hoped not.

For all that he had promised the lizard that he would drag Lorenzo Rey here if that was what was needed to break the spell, he wasn’t confident that he would manage to find the High Warlock anywhere. He wasn’t inside his own home, which suggested that he had probably left the area. Not that Andrew could blame him, what with their rampant demon problem and the tense Downworld atmosphere.

“Too bad you don’t have a lovely prince or princess around to kiss you,” Andrew chuckled, raising his eyebrows when the lizard stared pointedly at him. “Oh, absolutely not. I’ve watched enough Disneys to know that kissing the amphibian – or reptile, I suppose – isn’t a good idea. One lizard is going to be enough for Miss Loss to deal with. The last thing she needs is a second one.”

Before the lizard could make another one of its indignant hisses, the front door was swung open and Catarina Loss hurried inside, glancing around worriedly for a few moments until her gaze settled on Andrew and the lizard. She stared at him bemusedly for a second, having clearly not expected to find anyone other than the reptile in the loft but – to her credit – she recovered quickly.

“Not what I thought I was going to find,” she huffed. “But I can work with this. I’m guessing that this is the infamous lizard Alec was telling me about? I’m glad to see you managed to keep it entertained and in one piece, mister…”

“Underhill,” Andrew introduced himself, extending his free hand out to the warlock and smiling at her. “Andrew Underhill, Alec’s Head of Security. It’s truly a pleasure to meet you, although I’ll admit the circumstances aren’t ideal. And yes, this is the lizard, although he or she is actually a warlock, from what I was able to infer, and mostly polite.”

“Mostly?”

“Well, they did get a little bit sassy with me,” Andrew rolled his eyes. “Although I guess I may have deserved it. But that’s beside the point. I’m not sure how long they’ve been stuck like this, but I think they would like to be turned back into a fully functional warlock, sooner rather than later. Not that I’m trying to rush you, of course, I just-”

“I understand, Mister Underhill,” the woman chuckled, shaking her head at him before picking the lizard up, ignoring its threatening hisses. “Hiss all you want, but we both know I’m the only way you’re going to be transformed back into your true form. If I were you, I would be kind to me until you’ve got your powers back, and maybe even for a little while after that.”

The lizard stayed dutifully quiet although it turned away from Catarina and stared at Andrew instead. Its gaze never left Andrew’s as blue and white magic glittered around it, glowing brighter and brighter until a cloud of white smoke erupted around the reptile. Catarina stumbled back, Andrew blinked rapidly and, when they looked back in the animal’s direction, it had been replaced by a very handsome – and very _naked_ – man, whom Andrew immediately recognised as-

“Good to have you back, Rey,” Catarina said curtly. “Try not to get yourself turned into any other animals in the next day or so; I have actual patients to take care of that are in a lot more danger than the High Warlock of Brooklyn.”

She walked out of the loft before Rey could say anything, and then Andrew was alone with the attractive warlock, his tongue tied and throat dry. He had seen pictures of Lorenzo Rey, of course, but they didn’t do him justice. And since Andrew had just spent the last hour or so talking to the High Warlock without knowing who he was, he thought he was allowed to be a little dazed.

Especially given how bare the man currently was.

“Well, I wanted to make a good impression on the kind and pretty shadowhunter who took care of me, and it seems like Fate agreed with me,” the warlock smirked. Before Andrew could speak up, the man was closing the distance between them and extending one of his hands out.

Andrew took it, figuring he might as well make their introductions official, but the warlock stole his breath away again by turning his hand around and pressing a kiss to the back of it, gazing up at Andrew from underneath his dark eyelashes. Raziel, he was stunning.

“Forgive me for not greeting you properly earlier,” the warlock grinned. “I was slightly undisposed. I’m Lorenzo Rey, High Warlock of Brooklyn, but you can just call me Lorenzo. It’s a pleasure to meet you, _Andrew_.”

His heart skipped a beat, his name sounding positively sinful coming from the warlock’s – Lorenzo’s – mouth.

“Ah yes, it’s a pleasure to meet you too,” Andrew stuttered, blushing brightly at the blatant once over Lorenzo gave him. “As you, I mean, since we have been talking for a while, or- Well, I was talking, I suppose you were mostly just listening. Oh god, I must have sounded like such an arrogant shadowhunter. I’m sorry, I should have been more considerate and-”

“And what?” Lorenzo snorted. “Stayed silent? That would have been incredibly uncomfortable, don’t you think? Believe me, Andrew, you did a great job at taking care of your helpless High Warlock. I assure you that you didn’t do anything to offend me. On the contrary, really.”

“I- Really?” Andrew asked, his lips parted in shock. “But I…”

“Rescued me from that infernal cage and proceeded to take care of me as we waited for Catarina to arrive?” Lorenzo completed for him, smiling warmly. “You provided me with everything I needed, including company, so I promise that you did a wonderful job at looking after me. So much so that I might just ask you to come back sometime soon, hopefully when we’re both in our human forms.”

Now, Andrew wasn’t an expert in flirting, but he was pretty sure that he had just been asked out on a date, which was both unexpected and very much welcome. He nodded slowly, smiling bashfully at Lorenzo and hoping that he looked as enthusiastic as he felt, because he wasn’t sure he would ever manage to put his feelings into words.

“I would like that,” he murmured. Lorenzo’s grin turned even brighter, and Andrew had to grip the wall behind him to steady himself. By the angel, this man would be the death of him.

“Perfect,” Lorenzo clapped his hands, tugging Andrew away from the wall and splaying his fingers against the small of the shadowhunter’s back as he led him towards the front door. “We could have a Disney movie marathon. The Princess and the Frog as our first of the night, maybe?”

Andrew spluttered inelegantly, but he couldn’t hide the small smile that made its way onto his face as Lorenzo leaned against his doorframe, obviously not wanting their conversation to end quite yet. Andrew could relate.

“That sounds amazing,” he whispered. “So… Should I call you, or you call me, or…”

“My number is already in your pocket, shadowhunter,” Lorenzo chuckled, winking at him. “It’s your move next. Now, forgive me for asking you to leave after you were so helpful, but I have a few things to take care of. I _did_ just spend my last three days in lizard form, after all.”

“Of course. I’ll leave you to it then, and hopefully we’ll see some more of each other soon,” Andrew nodded, turning around and stepping away from the loft before cursing underneath his breath and changing his mind.

He spun back towards Lorenzo, stepped into his personal space, and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek before backing away, leaving behind a stunned warlock who raised a hand to his face with a delighted smile on his face.

Andrew had no idea what had made him come to the apartment in the first place, but he was starting to think that it didn’t matter. Whether it was Fate or his constant need for his approval or his infallible sense of duty, it had all led him to Lorenzo Rey.

And if that wasn’t a sign, he didn’t know what was.

**Author's Note:**

> Heya guys! Thank you so much for reading! I have no idea how this came to be, but it did. I really wanted to write a canon divergence fic, and I was in a Reyhill mood, so this happened! I absolutely loved imagining Lorenzo's reactions as a lizard, as well as Andrew's dialogue. I hope you enjoyed!
> 
> Love, Junie. 
> 
> (find me on tumblr @hopesilverheart)


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